Read articles on a variety of music topics
IMPROVISATION
IMPROVISATION
PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY
JAZZ MASTERS
JAZZ MASTERS
BOOKS
BOOKS
PRACTICING
PRACTICING
JAZZ EDUCATION
JAZZ EDUCATION
The new book by Richie Beirach and me
Throughout the past year, Richie and I have been writing a book on jazz education. It is called Teaching and Learning Jazz: From tradition to
Gerry Pagano’s retirement concert
My long-time good friend and bass trombone extraordinaire Gerry Pagano is retiring from the St. Louis symphony next month after 27 years. That’s over 125
How you can play so much better right now
There is a fascinating process that I constantly see played out. Instantly, it can elevate the ability of players. They are amazed and delighted that
Is jazz in danger of becoming a caricature of itself?
I was forwarded a YouTube link yesterday of a young musician playing John Coltrane’s solo from Giant Steps note for note.
About a metronome
I originally meant to write this as a reply to a comment Richie Beirach wrote on my blog. But as I started writing, I realized that this could be the springboard for something much more important.
About the movie Whiplash and jazz education
A couple weeks ago I sent Richie Beirach a YouTube clip from the movie Whiplash as a bit of levity. It was the scene where the teacher in the film Fletcher berates that poor trombone player for being out of tune. Spoiler alert:
